When Wall-E was first adopted from Maricopa County Animal Care and Control (MCACC) in 2015, he was a young dog. The Lab mix’s new family welcomed him into their house, cared for him, and loved him with treats and toys.

Then, in September, Wall-E saw all of his things stuffed into two plastic trash bags. The 6-year-old dog was perplexed as to why he and his belongings were being driven back to the Arizona shelter, or why his owner was crying as he said his goodbyes.

All Wall-E understood was that he was alone and heartbroken once again.

Wall-circumstances E’s family’s had changed, and they could no longer provide him with the attention he needed. Jordan Bader, who maintains a Facebook group for MCACC’s adoptable canines, told The Dodo, “He was surrendered by his family because they did not have enough time for him.” “He was terrified. He would bark and bark in his kennel.”

Wall-E couldn’t keep his toys and bed in his kennel since the shelter was nothing like a dog motel. He was confused and unhappy, far removed from the familiarity of his old life and the people who had offered to love him.

Potential adopters couldn’t see past the defensiveness that disguised the previously happy-go-lucky dog when they passed by his little cage. Staff at the shelter, on the other hand, knew there was a really nice dog behind the bars, ready to meet the genuine Wall-E.

“Many people passed him up because of his kennel presence and evaluations,” Bader added. “With volunteers, on the other hand, he was extremely nice and lively, and he liked performing zoomies.”

Wall-E remained at the overcrowded shelter for two months, no closer to finding a home than the day he was surrendered. That’s when Bader realized he might help the abandoned dog by narrating his tale. And it was successful.

“I administer the [Facebook] page and network for the shelter dogs with about six volunteers,” Bader stated. “We anticipated this photo would be upsetting and draw a lot of attention, but we didn’t expect it to go viral as quickly as it did. There were so many individuals who were interested in him.”

Lynn Lee was so affected by the photo that she immediately went to the shelter to see Wall-E in person.

Lee brought her own dog, and the two got along so well that Wall-E was on his way to his well-deserved permanent home the day after his photo was put online.

“They’ve been incredible,” Bader said. “Wall-E gets along swimmingly with the family and enjoys going to dog parks and cuddling.”

Wall-E is letting his personality shine now that he has a new mom — and he’s gotten used to his new dog bed quickly.